NORRISTOWN — The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously confirmed former Norristown police Chief Russell Bono as the next sheriff of Montgomery County Tuesday.

Bono, 67, will be sworn in to office by common pleas Judge Carolyn Carluccio on Wednesday around 4 p.m. Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Vereb (R-150) said a public swearing in ceremony will be announced at a later time.

“I thank Gov. Tom Corbett for his confidence in me and Montgomery County Republican Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Vereb, and Sen. John Rafferty for their guidance in the process and personal trust in me,” Bono said. “Finally, I would also like to thank my wife, Linda, for her love and support.”

It is not always easy to be married to a police officer, he added.

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Bono was joined by his wife and Vereb in Harrisburg during the Senate vote.

“I promise the good people of Montgomery County that I will serve as their sheriff to the best of my ability and look forward to starting immediately,” Bono said.

Bono said he has not made any staffing decisions for the department, which has an opening for a new deputy chief. Former Deputy Chief Alfred Ricci announced his retirement on Jan. 10. Capt. Gregory Womelsdorf, who has been serving as acting sheriff, was also made acting deputy chief after Ricci’s retirement.

Bono said he did not want to presume he was getting the job and did not want to make any staffing decisions before being confirmed. He also stated he has not made any department visits to see what changes were needed or could be made in the department.

“Now I will get to that task,” he said in a teleconference Tuesday.

Bono said he became familiar with the sheriff’s department after working in Norristown and believes former Sheriff Eileen Behr did a wonderful job with the department and he hopes to continue her good work.

He will now be in charge of approximately 120 employees in the sheriff’s department, which includes deputies and office support staff.

Bono was nominated by a screening panel led by Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman after three other candidates had come to the committee for interviews.

He worked with the Norristown Police Department for 42 years before retiring in February 2013, starting as a patrol officer in 1971.

Bono received support from both sides of the aisle in the Pennsylvania Senate, and Vereb thanked senators from throughout Montgomery County for helping push the vote through.

“I’m thankful to the Senate for recognizing the importance of confirming a first-rate nominee, Vereb said. “I wish to express my personal gratitude to our county delegation, Sens. Stewart Greenleaf, John Rafferty and Bob Mensch for their work in shepherding the Bono nomination through the Senate.”

Vereb said he first met Bono when Bono was a patrol officer and Vereb was riding on the dirt-bike track that used to be owned by the Norristown Police Athletic League.

“I first got to know Russell Bono as a 13 year-old PAL dirt biker,” he said in a press release sent out shortly after the confirmation. “Through our shared background in law enforcement, I’ve maintained a relationship with Russell over the course of many years.”

Behr announced her resignation in December and took over as head of the Drexel University Police Department in January.